Mathys Tel wasn’t the only Tottenham Hotspur player to sign on deadline day. As reported yesterday, Tottenham were also in the market for young players with whom they can restock their academy ranks. And they have done so, announcing the signing of three 18-year-olds — Dan Batty from Manchester City U21, Luca Furnell-Gill from Liverpool U21, and Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny from Chelsea U21.
Batty is an attacking midfielder that featured for City’s FA Youth Cup squad last season.
Furnell-Gill is a central defender who came through the Preston North End academy before signing with Liverpool two seasons ago.
Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny is a central midfielder with Chelsea’s academy, and a member of the England U17, U18, and U29 setups. He also has parents who apparently love hyphens and compound names.
I’d love to tell you more about all three, but I can’t. What I can say is that they were brought in as talented youngsters to bolster a Spurs U21 squad that has struggled since losing several key players from the team that won the PL2 last season. Are they any good? No idea! But I would imagine they’re plenty good enough that we can probably flip them to a team down the pyramid for a small profit. And in the meantime they can learn and develop at one of the top training facilities in the UK.
And you never know — one of these kids could turn out and break through into the first team. Who knows! That’s why you invest in young talent.
Welcome to Tottenham, fellas!